Period 1 — App Off
State minimums
The driver is a private motorist. Only their personal auto policy applies to the crash.
The App Decides
Three Coverage Periods, Three Very Different Claims
The moment of impact freezes the driver’s app status — and with it, how much insurance exists for your injuries.
Period 2 — App On, Waiting
Contingent coverage
Limited company coverage sits above the driver’s personal policy while they wait for a request.
Period 3 — En Route or Carrying
$1,000,000
The company’s third-party liability policy — covering passengers and anyone the car hits.
The proof lives on the company’s servers
Trip records, driver status logs and GPS data establish which period applies — and they must be requested and preserved properly. If you were the passenger, screenshot your trip receipt and driver details before the app updates.
Las Vegas may be the most rideshare-dependent city in America. Visitors do not rent cars, the Strip is a nightmare to park at, and Uber and Lyft absorb the difference. When one of those trips ends in a collision, the first question is not who was careless — it is which policy is on the hook.
The Three Coverage Periods
- App off. The driver is a private motorist. Only their personal auto policy applies.
- App on, waiting for a request. Limited contingent coverage from the rideshare company sits above the driver's personal policy.
- En route to a passenger, or carrying one. The company's $1 million third-party liability policy applies.
That third tier covers not only passengers but anyone the vehicle hits — other drivers, cyclists, pedestrians. Many people injured by a rideshare vehicle never learn the large policy existed.
Proving Which Period Applies
The app status is the whole ballgame, and the evidence for it sits on the company's servers. Trip records, driver status logs and GPS data have to be requested properly and preserved. If you were the passenger, screenshot your trip receipt and driver details before the app updates.
If You Were the Passenger
You are almost never at fault, which puts you in the strongest position of anyone in the vehicle. It also means both drivers' insurers may try to point at each other while your bills pile up. You do not have to referee that — we do it.
This page is general information about Nevada law, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case turns on its own facts — call us and we will tell you where yours stands.
Answers
Uber and Lyft Accidents — Common Questions
As a passenger you are essentially never at fault, and the rideshare company's $1 million liability coverage generally applies while a ride is in progress. Whether the rideshare insurer or the other driver's insurer ultimately pays is their argument to have, not yours.
Then it is an ordinary car accident claim against their personal auto policy, and the rideshare company's coverage does not apply. Establishing app status is exactly why the trip and status records need to be preserved early.
Usually not. Most rideshare claims are resolved with the insurer that carries the applicable policy rather than through a suit against the company itself. What matters is identifying the right coverage and documenting the driver's status at impact.
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